Electric connector.



E. B.'-WILCQX. ELECTRHJ CONNECTOR 1 APPLICATION FILED OCT- ZTI 1915.

1,201,784. Pate'ntefl 9031x1916.

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l ctsof n accent invenand efl'ective I 11- v N All Qli I93! ntion an nna pa ilscularly to lamp base which will adapt the lamp to beii used in sockets oi either the two wire all sulated or'tlie one Wire grminded systems ofdistrihution much used for autoinobile'lighting. r A special i adapt the-plug c; application in a wire type and to enable- ;nient or removal of the Mic-ally connected W1 1. end contacts with a grounding contact electricallyconnected i with the other one of the end contacts and adapted to be disconnected. therefrom or to he so disg ilaced as to hen-o longer eiiective. The groin vconiifact extends outward from the-end contact-to which it is connected far enoughto niakeelectrical engagement with the cont? t of the socl'ct this side con in the one W a type being usually the inner Wall. of the socket body. lhis grounding contact is, furthermore, preferablyinade of spring nietaladapting it to make a firm electrical en agement with ;he,..sidc, contact of the socket, andf-urther adaptingit to be readily broken off or'bent outof'ltheany when the plug is used in 45 an all insulated type of socket. -Various other features will appearas the specification proceeds and will made clear by a CGllSlllPiiLb-lfiil of the accompany drawing whi h illustrates the lIlVGEfliZlGIl l in pram Kai and. preferred form. "ac ing. i igure 1 a perspective choc i in t 3 ng in position 1' e socket e such connectof inthe' 15501111 of a e imention is to for-1n V il-atented Oct. -1'7, 1916.

Application filed Uctober 27, 1315. Serial No. 58,1?3.

the use of the intention in acne Wire grounded type of socket. Fig. 3 is asimilar new showing the invention in use in a two Wire all insulated type 'ofsocket, the grounding contact having been broken off or removed in this case to-ai oid grounding of the circuit. Fig. 4. is a perspective View at a slightly modified forfn-oif-the invention.

la the herein disclosed einbodiment, wherein the invention is'illustratedin its application to a base for a lamp, the lamp base constitutes the-body of the. plug, and is shown consisting of'a metal sleeve or shell '7 carrying at its end an insulating disk or support 8 which forms an insulating base fertile-contacts.

The two end contacts are designated 10 and 11 respectively. These contacts are mounted on the insulating base at the end of the plug and are disposed on opposite sides of the center of the plug.

- The center contact is designated 12 and the same is mounted on the end of the'plug substantially at the center thereof and electrically connected with one of the end'contacts the contact in this particular instance. A convenient method of construct ing the center contact is to make it an integral inwardly extending projection of the .plate which constitutes the end contact 10,

as shown; The ends of the tWoIcircuit Wires in the plug, -.Which inthis ,particularjcase constitute the leading-in Wires '13 and 14 of the lamp .filament l5,are suitably con-,

nected with the two end-contacts, as indicated in'the several VIEWS; 3

A suitable socket for use with the plug 1s illustrated at 1 7 in Fig. 1,-theplug being shown provided with locking studsor-plns 18 to engage in bayonet slots 19in the socketto hold the plug properly seated therein.

When the plug is used in asocket of the two ire type such as illustrated in Fig. '3, the end contacts, disposed at'opposite sides of the center-of the plug, are engaged by correspondingly located contacts 20 and 21 in the socket, and the center contact is not used. Sockets of the one WlIB' grounded type such as illustrated in Fig. 2, are usually provided with a center contact 22 ,and the body 23 of the socket fiorms a side contact to which the other or grounded side of the cir the socket. In the illustration this side contact is in the form of a piece of spring metal secured to or formed integral with the con- 'tact 11 and extended outwardly substan tially to' the plane of the outer periphery oithe plug and there bentover laterally as in- (heated at 25', to form a spring brush for engagement with the inner wall of the socket body. This spring brush portion may be bent in either direction, that is either upwardly. or away from the end as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, or downwardly in the opposite direction as indicated at 25" in Fig. 4. In the first form the brush member may be forced by its engagement with the inner wall of the socket into contact with the metallic shell of the plug. This brings the shell of the plug into circuit and provides that. much additional contact between the plug and the socket. In,the other form the brush provides the soleconnection between the plug and the side contact of the socket. In either form it will be evident that the metallic shell 7 is unnecessary, and that the body of-the plug may-be made entirely 'of insulating material.

When theplug is'us'ed in a socket of the two wire all insulated type, the grounding contact is unnecessary, and in fact inthis case is undesirable. This contact is, therefore, removed from service either by breakingor-tearing it off, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, or by bending it down or deforming it,'asindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, so that it will not engage with the side contacts of the socket. The structure of the contacts 7 permits of this deformation and the advantage of deforming it instead of removing it, is that if it ever becomes necessary to'use the plug again in a socket of the grounded type, the grounding contact may be readily bent back to place where it will make connection with the side contact of the socket.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention is simple and practical for the center thereof, a filament supported by the lamp base and having its opposite ends connected to the respective end contacts, a center contact at the end of the lamp base electrically connected with one of the end contacts and an outwardly extending bendahic spring brush electrically connected to the.

other one of said two end contacts.

2. In an electric lamp, a lamp base, a side contact on said lamp base, two end contacts on the lamp base at opposite sides of the center thereof, a filament supported by the lamp base and-having its opposite ends connected to the respective end contacts, a center contact at the end of the lamp base electrically connected with one of the end contacts and a yieldable spring contact connected to the otherone of said two end contacts normally disposed over the side contact on the base to be thereby forced into engagement with said side contact upon the insertion of the lamp in a socket intended therefor.

3. In an electric lamp, a lamp base, a side contact on said lamp base, two end contacts on the lamp base at opposite sides of the center thereof, a filament supported by the lamp base and having its opposite ends connected to the respective end contacts, a cen ter contact at the end of the lamp base electrically connected with one of the end c011- tacts and anoutwardly extending detachable spring brushconnected to the other one of said two end contacts and readily separable therefrom whereby when said brush is not needed the same may be readily detached from the end contact to which it is normally.

connected.

EDSON B. WILCOX. 

